With the advancement of 3D graphics and modeling technology, many engineering and design professionals have adopted 3D computer modeling applications, such as AutoCAD® and Solidworks®, as tools to increase productivity. However, traditional 2D input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, are not designed for manipulating data and objects in 3D space. Accordingly, users can find such 2D input devices cumbersome to work with.
Techniques have been developed to configure a 2D device to perform 3D tasks. For example, with the help of an onscreen interface, many 3D computer applications provide the user with a 3D rotation tool (or orbit tool). When selected, this tool allows the user to rotate a virtual model of an object by clicking and dragging the mouse on a 2D surface. Typically, the direction of the 3D rotation is determined by the combination of an anchor point location (the point at which the mouse button is pressed down) and the direction of the dragging movement. Accordingly, it is clear that rotating an object 360 degrees can be awkward to perform with a 2D input device.
A variety of special input devices have also been developed for 3D computer applications. However, user performance with such devices varies greatly across device designs and tasks. Some of these special input devices cannot provide the required range of motion and are cumbersome to work with.